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I just have to say, we had the most epic dinner on Saturday night. We went out to Rye in Williamsburg with our friends and I am still thinking about what a great time we had there. We ordered cocktails, of course – their house old fashioned was perfect, and you can even order the drink for the whole table, which comes in an adorable little bottle and completely sold me on the whole restaurant (they also made a mean dirty martini). As for food, well, it was incredible. We had a crispy brussels sprout salad, macaroni and cheese, oysters, Scotch egg, rigatoni with lamb ragu, braised short ribs, spring pea ravioli, and best of all, their famous meatloaf sandwich, topped with crispy buttermilk onions. It was quite a meal, but you’ve got to indulge every now and then, right? I suppose we were all in the feasting mood, what with the Game of Thrones premiere and everything (and really, who isn’t?). Obviously, if you are ever in Brooklyn, definitely check out Rye – it truly made for a memorable night.

I wanted to share these gougères because I thought that they would have fit right in with our plethora of food at Rye the other night. Gougères are just a baked choux pastry dough (which is the same base for eclairs or profiteroles) mixed with cheese for a light, airy bite or two as a snack or appetizer. They have a beautifully delicate texture and are perfect for setting out on your table in a basket before dinner or during cocktail hour. They will surely disappear before your eyes if you put them out during a party or at your Sunday dinner, and are a great change of pace from your usual rolls or biscuits.

Your ingredients.

Grate your cheese.

Combine your milk, water, butter, and salt over high heat and bring to a boil.

Add in the flour and stir until smooth.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding in the next egg only when the previous one has been completely incorporated.

Stir in the grated cheese.

Drop tablespoon-sized dollops of dough on the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart, and bake until golden and puffed.

1½ cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but a nice Gruyère would be even better)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Add the milk, water, butter, and salt to a medium sized pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add in the flour, turn the heat down to medium-low, and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together into a smooth ball - this will happen very fast, so keep stirring!

Place the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer and add in the eggs, one at a time, beating in each egg until it is fully incorporated. Don't worry about it when the dough looks like it is separating and breaking - it will come back together after you have finished adding in each egg. Stir in the grated cheese with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.

Drop 1 tablespoon sized balls of dough onto each baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Place them in the oven and turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 12 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake again for another 12-13 minutes, until the gougères are lightly golden and nicely puffed up. Serve warm or room temperature. These will keep well in an airtight container for up to 48 hours.

I love making choux dough! These look perfectly delicate and airy, much lighter than, say, cheese biscuits. Mmmm! I can’t get the thought of spring pea ravioli out of my brain… That sounds SO delicious.

I’m native from Burgundy, the region of France where Gougères are from. The original recipe uses Comté cheese instead of Cheddar or Gruyère. Then you can add a spoon of sour cream in your mix and also a pinch of nutmeg.
And better than everything, have a little Kir with those : 6/7 of Bourgogne Aligoté and 1/7 of Crème de cassis (blackcurrant cream) and you’ll be ready to travel to Burgundy and its history, gougères are also filled with history, this dish already existed in the XVIIth century.

I haven’t actually – this was my first time making them! As stated above, though, by another commenter – nutmeg would definitely be delicious, or you could take things a more savory route with some rosemary or thyme.